STUDENTS ATTEND CONFERENCE IN DES MOINES

Iowa Lakes Community College students participated recently in the Iowa Association for the Education of Young Children (IAEYC) Conference held in Des Moines.

Four students and two professors attended – and were guest presenters at the annual two-day conference.

Joanna Asmus, Alden, and Casey Broadhead, Spencer, presented a session entitled “Get in the Act” on ‘Creative Dramatics.’ The workshop was hands-on with participants acting out several stories, poems and songs.
Melissa Nielsen, Renwick, and Kristy Carter, Spencer, led a workshop on

“Start Seeing Diversity.” Participants learned to keep their eyes open for potential bias and ways to prevent and reduce prejudice in the classroom. They also showed many teacher-made props that can be used to teach children about diversity.

Professors Marsha Swanson and Jamie Simpson spoke to conference attendees about ‘Shhh! It’s a Secret.’ This session tackled the hard issue of domestic violence and how it affects college students. The professors offered several ideas on how to increase awareness of the subject in the classroom and collaborate with community agencies.

Several hundred early childhood educators from across the state attend the annual conference.